


Just Sleep Already

by TheDoctorIsIcecube



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Cute, Friendship, Gen, No Spoilers, Pre-Breath of the Wild, Tired Link, Zelda attempts to cook
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 08:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 721
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10567806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDoctorIsIcecube/pseuds/TheDoctorIsIcecube
Summary: Link is tired after a long day and Zelda isn't going to let him go without sleep again.





	

"Link, you must be exhausted," Zelda said. Link looked up from his feet and blinked. He was tired, very tired, but he could sleep on his feet if he needed to and they didn't have much further to go today anyway. "The camp is only a little farther, you should rest when we get there."

"I will still need to cook and keep watch for most of the night," he said. It wasn't safe to sleep and he couldn't leave Zelda to take the watch on her own.

"Nonsense, Link. You spent the morning fighting and I know you didn't sleep last night. It would be irresponsible of both of us to let you go without rest." Zelda was using the tone of voice that people never argued with. That was dangerous.

"I'm- fine, yes, your highness." He attempted a smile, but he imagined it looked a little strange. He was very tired and his face didn't quite feel real. "But let me take the first watch after I rest when we make camp." He wasn't even sure if that sentence made sense or not.

"No. I am going to cook this evening, and then you are going to sleep. Legendary hero or not, I won't have you passing out at some inopportune time." They passed over the crest of a hill, and Zelda carefully picked her way down a sheltered overhang below. Link followed a little less gracefully, almost stumbling once or twice. "See?" She said, frowning. "The day I'm more graceful than you is the day you need a full night of sleep."

"As you command," he said, hoping that there was enough inflection for the statement to sound like a joke. As he said it, he slid down the stone wall and sat on the floor. 

"Give me your bag, you're carrying all our food." Zelda tugged it off his shoulder, and Link watched through bleary eyes as she laid down some wood and their cooking pot and lit a fire underneath. He'd never actually seen Zelda cook before- he always took that responsibility, whilst she seemed content to check her Sheikah Slate and make notes as he cooked.

He could sort of tell as she was going that what she was making was...not exactly right. There was a little too much butter in the dish (though Link had noted that Zelda liked salty food) and nowhere near enough milk, but they'd been running out of that anyway. And then Zelda moved on his bottle of Goron spice and he could feel his mouth burning just looking at how much she put in.

The curry that she presented him with fifteen sleepy minutes later didn't look awful, but it hardly looked stunning either. Link picked up the bowl, taking a spoonful and immediately wondering if the red flush from the heat was visible on his face. He knew he couldn't turn it down or push any away, and honestly he'd eaten so much worse in his time. So much worse. Sometimes he'd struggled his way through a hard winter by putting monster parts in to bulk out the food and it ended up much worse than something an inexperienced princess could make with edible ingredients.

"Maybe next time use a little less spice," he suggested. "Five drops, not...not half the bottle." His sentence was interrupted by a yawn, one that Link was surprised to see didn't make flames shoot out of his mouth like the great dragon Dinraal.

"Maybe next time you should get more sleep so I don't have to worry about you falling asleep in the pan while cooking," Zelda said with a smile. "Sleep. I'll wake you up if I hear any monsters."

Link wasn't going to count on that. He wouldn't be surprised if Zelda took out that dagger he knew she kept in her boot and tried to fight off any monsters herself. She was brave like that. Reckless, maybe, but wonderfully brave. "Alright, princess...thank you." Zelda didn't say anything, but she smiled, and Link finally closed his eyes.

When he woke up the next morning, he found that Zelda had fallen asleep at some point during her watch and she hadn't woken him, but he couldn't bring himself to mind too much. He hadn't slept that well in months.


End file.
